Publisher 2003 printing issue 1

[porkchopexpress]

Hi all

I posted this in the Office forum but i'm not sure if it's specifically the Office package that is the problem.


We have recently moved from Office 2000 to 2003 and have started experiencing some odd behaviour. Our users roam to different locations in the building and if they create a publisher document in one room and try to print it the document will print to the printer in the original room. When they click print the option box comes up with the correct printer for the room but when they click to confirm it sends it to the wrong room.

If i look in Tools - Options - Print it says "the current printer is HP 4050" but if i go to File - Print it lists the correct printer HP 2100. The document seems to remember the location where it was created, when this happened with Publisher 2000 it gave you the option to change this when the document was opened.

If the user opens page setup and clicks the current printer and confirms it then it will print to the correct printer but this is a bit of a pain to do every time.

Has anyone else had this issue?

Cheers.

 

[BionicJohn]

If i look in Tools - Options - Print it says "the current printer is HP 4050"

Isn't that the local default printer, which the user can override via the Print menu?

LIVERPOOL FC - FA Cup Winners 2006.
Iechyd da! John
Glannau Mersi, Lloegr.

 

[porkchopexpress]

Nope the 4050 was the printer in the last room not the one installed on the current system. Publisher 2000 used to give you the option when you opened a doc to change to the currently installed printer but 2003 doesn't seem to recognise that the printer has changed and so tries to print to the wrong printer. It's very odd.

 

[BionicJohn]

It's very odd.

Certainly is, but then Microsoft moves in mysterious ways…

LIVERPOOL FC - FA Cup Winners 2006.
Iechyd da! John
Glannau Mersi, Lloegr.

 

[bcastner]

It is not odd as far as I am concerned.

If you choose when the file is created to print to the default printer, that "sticks." If you choose a specific printer that setting "sticks."

This is true throughout the office line.


____________________________
Users Helping Users

 

[porkchopexpress]

Hi there

We never had this problem with Office 2000 if you opened a document in publisher 2000 you received an information box saying something like "This publisher document was created with another printer would you like to change to the current printer". Only Publisher does this as it's essential for margins and layout when the printer changes, Publisher 2003 doesn't seem to warn you when the installed printer has changed or update the info.

Surely if you move to another room with an Office document you shouldn't expect it to try and print to the printer on another PC.

 

[porkchopexpress]

This person is having the exact same issue thread626-1238608

 

[bcastner]

Surely if you move to another room with an Office document you shouldn't expect it to try and print to the printer on another PC.

Sure will. There are macros and other fixes for Access reports, for example.

It makes sense to me. You specified an exact printer rather than the default. The Office application can only assume this is because that printer offers unique printer features. Otherwise, you would have used the choice of the default printer instead.



____________________________
Users Helping Users

 

[porkchopexpress]

Ok i've just been upto a room and created a blank publisher document with just the word test nothing fancy, there is only one printer installed on the PC. I then went to another room and opened the document if i look in the File - Print menu the printer is listed for the current room but when i click print it prints to the printer in the other room.

This behaviour seems ridiculous to me users are accidentally printing to other buildings just because they want to print a document they created somewhere else.

 

[porkchopexpress]

I should also add that this doesn't happen to everyone it's seemingly random.

 

[porkchopexpress]

Like i say Publisher 2000 would pop up when a user opened a document and sat the printer has changed do you want to use the current printer, with 2003 this doesn't happen and the user had to manually chenge to the current printer.

 

[bcastner]

porchopexpress,

It is different in Office 2003.

You need when you originally specify a printer for the file to choose either a specific printer or the default printer or change the printer at print time.

Asking the same question a hundred times is not going to change Office 2003 behavior for you.




____________________________
Users Helping Users

 

[porkchopexpress]

Just checking we were on the same page. It a shame such a usefull reminder has been left out i was hoping to come accross a way to enable it.

 

[bcastner]

No.

But join the 2007 Publisher beta 2 program, and keep asking them to restore the feature.


____________________________
Users Helping Users

 

[porkchopexpress]

Thanks Bill i will be doing just that.

 

[Shouou]

It seems only Publisher 2003 has this problem, unfortunately it saves the printer information when a publiser file is created. Even if i point it to another network printer. It will still default to the previous printer even if it is invisible to the user, and another printer is set to default.

The ONLY solution i have found is to goto Page Setup, Change Orientation from Portrait/Landscape and Apply. Then go back and restore the page to it's Previous Orientation.

Does anyone know a way to force the settings to change when a file is opened? We have users printing to network ptinters in other buildings and they don't even know it.

 

[porkchopexpress]

I've never observed this issue with any of the other programs, Word, Excel or Access only publisher.

The way i've found to get around it is go to, File - Page Setup, select the Printer and Paper tab and reselect the printer in the drop down (even if it's the only printer in the list). It's really annoying as a user clicks to send to the only printer installed on this PC e.g. \\print server\room1 and then the box appears saying printing to \\printserver\room2.

At least Publisher 2000 used to popup and say do you realise that the printer is different. It seems to be an issue that you just have to live with.

I'm just about to take a look at Office 2007 to see if this behavior has changed. Please let it have changed.

 

[porkchopexpress]

It's difficult to test conclusively as it can be very random sometimes 2003 would print to the new printer no problems other times it would be a pig.

Publisher 2007 however seems to change to the new printer every time so far and i've moved to other PC's and changed printers several times, it doesn't inform you the printer has changed like 2000 did but at least it prints to the local printer.

 

[Shouou]

Ah thats good to hear that this problem is non-existant in 2007.

Even though we do have Office 2007 available i have not checked the new group policy setings as of yet, so there my be more problems in 2007 when i switch the system from 2003.

 

[porkchopexpress]

We only finished our move to 2003 a few months ago (imagine how disappointed i was to discover this issue) so i'll not be going through the pain of another migration for a while but i might consider just deploying Publisher 2007 for now.